


The Set-Up

by punk_rock_yuppie



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Buzzfeed: Worth It (Web Series)
Genre: Established Relationship (Stadamdrew), First Date, Fluff, Get Together Fic (Shyan), M/M, Multi, Podfic Welcome, Scheming, cute as fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 13:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15708471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punk_rock_yuppie/pseuds/punk_rock_yuppie
Summary: Ryan and Shane won't get their shit together, so Steven devises a plan.





	The Set-Up

**Author's Note:**

> so, forever ago, i had the idea of "steven tries to get shyan together bc they're idiots who don't realize what's right in front of them." then, i saw [this post](http://punk-rock-yuppie.tumblr.com/post/177024249781/okay-but-steven-andrew-and-adam-convincing-ryan), and decided to use it in this fic! this is just a whole lotta fluff, mainly from steven's eyes.
> 
> anyway, big thanks to hannah for beta'ing, as always!
> 
> enjoy!

“Were we like that?” Steven asks, slightly awed, leaning into Andrew.

“No,” Adam says as he comes up behind the two of them. He reaches out and squeezes Andrew’s shoulder and drops a kiss to the top of Steven’s head. “Not nearly as bad,” he adds.

Andrew snorts. “We had our moments.”

Adam shakes his head as he moves around to Steven’s other side. He pulls his laptop from his bag and sets it on the table in front of them. “We were never _that_ bad,” he says again with a pointed nod at their coworkers.

Ryan and Shane are staring at each other. They’d been bickering a few minutes prior, but it had trailed off into wheezing laughter, followed quickly by simply _staring_ at each other. Gazing, Steven would call it. He might even go so far as to liken it to _lovingly_.

They aren’t subtle.

Adam rolls his eyes as he starts to pull up the programs he needs. Andrew shakes his head and turns back to his computer as well. Steven, on the other hand, continues to stare.

“You’re gonna catch flies,” Andrew teases, reaching out to tap Steven’s chin.

Steven’s mouth snaps shut and he scowls lightly. “I’m just—do they not know? They _seriously_ don’t see it?”

Adam shakes his head. “Nope,” he says quietly.

Steven’s cheeks pink and he purses his lips. “We should help them.”

That wrings a burst of laughter from Andrew. “We should what?”

Steven looks between his boyfriends rapidly. “We figured it out, didn’t we?” He asks but doesn't wait for an answer. “I can’t watch this anymore, it’s physically painful.” He clutches at his chest in a way that’s only half a joke. Steven is sensitive, attuned to emotions, and Adam knows watching Shane and Ryan pine after each other probably does actually _hurt_ Steven.

“We’re not gonna be _those_ people,” Andrew says shortly.

Steven rounds on him, and Adam doesn’t have to look to know that Andrew’s being exposed to some major puppy-dog eyes right now. Less than a minute passes before Andrew sighs.

“You got a plan?” Andrew asks, which is as good as admitting defeat.

There’s the soft sound of Steven leaning in and kisses Andrew once, then, “nope!” Steven scrambles for one of the Buzzfeed-branded notepads on the table in front of them and a pen. “But no time like the present, right?”

Adam smirks faintly and lets out a soft laugh. This time, Steven turns to him.

“You’re game, right?”

Adam smiles. “Yeah.”

Steven’s grin is blinding and he kisses Adam too, before immersing himself in devising a plan. He hunches down over his notepad and starts to scribble furiously. Over his bent head, Adam and Andrew share a fond smile.

 

 

Adam gets home—that is, Andrew’s apartment, because his is the biggest—that night to find Steven hunched over the coffee table in the living room. He stops by the glass edge and reaches out to ruffle Steven’s hair. “Got a plan yet?”

“What if we lock them in a closet together?” Steven asks without looking up.

Adam snorts. “They basically lock themselves in closed-off, isolated places for Unsolved. If it hasn’t helped yet, I don’t think it ever will.”

Steven looks up with a pout. “I hate when you’re right.”

“No you don’t,” Adam tells him gently. “Andrew in the kitchen?”

Steven nods. He preens slightly when Adam’s hand drifts from his hair to his cheek, cupping his jaw sweetly. It’s a tender, delicate touch, fleeting, but it seems to renew Steven’s energy. He dives back into writing frantically, and Adam wanders off to find his other boyfriend.

Andrew is hard at work stirring something in an obnoxiously large pot. “Hey,” Adam says as he comes up behind him. “Thanks.” He nods at the pot.

Andrew grins over his shoulder and they share a kiss. “Hey,” he says back. “Steven still hard at work?”

Adam hums an affirmative noise and lets himself relax against Andrew. They sway slightly as Andrew stirs whatever he’s cooking, and the gentle motions could lull Adam to sleep. He’s content like this, hands on Andrew’s waist and face pressed against his neck.

“Gotta get the bread,” Andrew says quietly, a hint of regret in his tone.

Adam takes a slightly stumbling step back. “Sorry.”

Andrew shakes his head he moves to the oven; he slips an oven mitt on and drags the rack out of the oven. He brushes the loaf of bread with garlic and butter and rosemary, casting glances over his shoulder at Adam. He opens his mouth to say something, probably a familiar refrain of ‘it’s fine, you had a long day,’ when Steven cheers from the living room.

Adam raises an eyebrow, and Andrew mirrors him. Andrew pushes the bread back into the oven and tosses the oven mitt onto the counter. He and Adam wait a second, but when Steven doesn’t come barreling into the kitchen, they both move toward the living room.

Steven is finally sitting back and holding a piece of paper in his hand. He looks up as they get closer. “I got it!”

“Yeah?” Andrew asks as he leans against the threshold between the kitchen and living room.

“Yep,” Steven says proudly. He stands up and winces as he goes. “Oh, jeez.” He rubs at his neck with a grimace.

Adam and Andrew share a fondly exasperated smirk. “Tell us over dinner. Go take a bath, it’ll be a bit.” Andrew shoos him away as he speaks.

Steven pouts again, but Adam moves closer and he lights up. “You gonna help me?” Steven asks with a blush and clumsy waggle of his eyebrows.

Adam laughs. “Sure.” He plucks the page from Steven’s hand and sets it down, then starts to tug him along. “I’m not getting in with you, though.”

Steven lets out an exaggerated, disappointed sigh. “Fine.” He follows close at Adam’s heels all the same, previous pouting left behind.

 

 

“So,” Andrew starts slowly, letting his napkin drop into his lap. He’s cleared his plate of seconds, as have Adam and Steven. Steven’s attempting to shovel down a third helping, but he’s looking sleepy as he funnels an overly large bite of spaghetti into his mouth. “Hey, hey,” Andrew chides as he reaches out to grab Steven’s wrist.

“It’s so good,” Steven says mournfully. He chews and swallows what’s in his mouth and stares sadly as the noodles still wrapped around his fork.

“And it’ll still be here in the morning,” Adam says with a laugh. “I’ll clean up.” With that, he stands and starts to gather their plates. He waits until Steven drops his fork onto his plate in defeat.

“You wanna tell us about your plan?” Andrew leans back in his chair. He’s pleasantly warm from wine and full of food. He watches Adam putter around his kitchen as he boxes up leftovers and cleans, fondness blooming in his chest.

Steven brightens up immediately, lethargy forgotten. “Oh yeah!” He stands and sprints from the room, leaving his boyfriends to snicker to themselves.

He returns in a flash, papers rustling and pens clicking against each other in his hand. He lays it all across the dinner table, and Andrew snorts quietly when he realizes it’s color coordinated. Because of course it is.

“Don’t let it fool you,” Steven says, gesturing to the several columns and lines of different colors. “It’s super simple.”

“Lay it on us,” Andrew says with a sweeping gesture.

“We’re gonna take them on a Worth It episode.”

Adam stops in washing the dishes, and Andrew leans forward. “What?”

“Worth It! It’s how we got together.” Steven’s cheeks pink as he speaks. “Why shouldn’t it work for them?”

Andrew stares at his boyfriend for a moment. “Elaborate.”

“Gladly,” Steven says, looking smug.

 

 

“You want to what?” Ryan asks, still with one headphone over an ear.

“We think it’s time the golden boys and the ghouligans have a crossover.” Steven’s voice is strong, unwavering, and he’s, internally, a little proud of himself. He’s not exactly great at keeping secrets or lying.

“You saying you want to come to a haunted house with us, Lim?” Shane chimes in from the next chair over. His grin is devious, and Steven barley refrains from taking a step closer to his boyfriends for safety.

“And have you lock me in some small space?” Steven thinks of the Sims videos and shakes his head. “No way. We’re doing it on _our_ turf.”

Ryan lets out a burst of laughter. “Your _turf_ ,” he repeats, eyes closing and mouth splitting into a wide smile. He doesn’t see it, but Shane looks at him intently as he laughs—Steven sees it, and it’s all he needs to know he’s making the right decision.

He looks over his shoulder to Adam and Andrew.

“Yeah,” Andrew says suddenly. “Our turf,” he mimics, still with a slightly teasing edge.

“What, are you scared?” Adam chimes in.

Ryan’s laughter tapers off. “Of what? Gold flakes and truffle slices? Please.”

“Then do it! You know the fans will love it.” Steven grins.

Ryan looks over at Shane, who shrugs and says, “How bad can it be?”

Judging by the exasperation on Ryan’s face, _very bad_. All the same, Ryan swivels his chair around to Steven again and nods. “Okay. Fine. Email us the deets.”

“Got it. Is there any day in particular that works better for you guys?”

Ryan shrugs. “Fridays? Generally.”

“Great,” Steven flashes them a thumbs up. He turns around quickly before Ryan or Shane can get a good look at his face—his cheeks hurt with how hard he’s smiling—and grabs Adam’s and Andrew’s hands. He pulls them away without so much as a goodbye, and as they hurry away, he can hear Ryan talking.

“God, he’s weird.”

 _You’ll be thanking me and my weirdness_ , Steven thinks.

 

 

“Where are they?” Ryan asks.

“Dunno,” Shane says.

Steven can see from where he’s sitting—that is, up in the loft above the main dining floor, a handheld camera poised downward, that Shane’s ears are pink. He’s already got his face buried in the menu, but his gaze keeps flicking back up to Ryan every few seconds. Steven zooms in on Shane first, then pans over to Ryan.

Ryan sits with a slight scowl. “Did they bail?” Then, he breaks into a smile. “Do _we_ get to be the golden boys today?” He laughs.

Shane’s laugh sounds strained through the mic. Steven looks over at his boyfriends, both of whom aren’t watching what’s happening down below but instead are watching Steven.

“It’s working!” He whispers.

Andrew nods and Adam gives him a thumbs up, and then Steven’s turning back to watch.

“Seriously, did you text them?”

“Yeah. Nothing.” Shane finally shuts the menu and sets it aside.

Ryan startles the minute he sees Shane in full. It’s the button down, Steven thinks. It’s a _nice_ shirt, looks soft to the touch, is just a touch too small even on Shane so it strains against his shoulders. Steven watches through the camera lens as Ryan’s mouth drops open.

“You look nice,” Shane says, a little awkward. And it’s true, Steven thinks. Ryan maybe didn’t get quite as dressed up as Shane, but he still looks good. The plain tee has a low neckline, exposes the jut of his collarbone and a tease of his pecs. It’s a deep red color, very complimentary to Ryan’s skin.

“Thanks,” Ryan says. His voice seems strangled, and Steven gives himself a mental pat on the back. “You too.”

“I, uh, put in an order for wine. Hope that’s cool.”

Ryan blinks, then nods slowly. “Uh, sure. Wait.” He looks around suspiciously, and for a second, Steven thinks the jig is up. “Who’s paying for this?”

Shane shrugs. “Not us,” he says with a faint laugh.

Ryan relaxes minutely into his seat. “Alright…”

“Here,” Shane says, passing Ryan the other menu. “I know what I want, you pick.”

“I thought we were doing a steak episode?”

Shane gestures to the distinct lack of cameras around them. “Clearly, we’re not doing _any_ kind of episode. Why not enjoy it?”

Ryan hesitates for only a fraction of a second before flipping the menu open. “Guess you’re right.”

“I usually am,” Shane says.

There’s a dull thud over the mics, and Shane’s hiss of pain, and Steven has to clap a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.

Steven continues watching as the waiter arrives with the wine and two long stemmed glasses. As the waiter rattles off the name and year of the wine, Steven zooms in on Ryan’s widening eyes.

“Shane, that’s gotta be like, the most expensive wine on the menu—!”

“Not on our dime,” Shane reminds him, before accepting a glass from the waiter. He takes a sip as Ryan’s glass is poured. “Oh, that’s nice,” he says, low, with a pleased sigh.

Steven focuses the camera on Ryan’s blush. “Uh.” He blindly takes the glass of wine and takes a sip of his own, nodding. Steven doesn’t even think he tasted it. “Yeah, it’s good.”

“Are you ready to order?” The waiter asks, voice quiet without a mic.

Shane nods and leans forward. He orders for himself, then gestures to Ryan, who stammers through ordering like a newborn deer on wobbling legs.

“You okay?” Shane asks, but Steven can see the grin curling at his lips.

“Yeah.” Ryan reaches for his wine again and drinks his his glass. “Uh, is this. Is this a date?”

Shane’s eyes are sparkling under the low, amber light of the restaurant. “What makes you say that?”

“You’re dressed freakishly nice, and you ordered the literally _most expensive wine I’ve ever had_ ,” he sounds a little hysterical as he speaks, and Steven only feels a teensy bit bad. “And, uh, none of the other guys are here but we’re still—still doing _this_.”

“Told you, we might as well enjoy it.” Shane sits back in his seat. Some of his bravado is fading.

“Shane.” Ryan’s voice is soft, and Steven feels faintly like he’s watching a tennis match, bouncing between the two men as he waits for a reaction.

A hand lands on his shoulder and startles him almost bad enough to drop the camera. He bites his tongue on a yelp and clutches the camera to his chest as he whips around. “What?” He hisses.

It’s Adam’s hand on his shoulder, squeezing. “I think that’s enough.” He gently takes the camera from Steven’s hands and turns it off. “They can figure it out from here.”

Steven looks over the loft railing just in time to see Ryan and Shane scooting their chairs closer. Both of them are blushing, looking sheepishly from their laps to each other to anywhere else. But it’s not awkward, not _bad_. It’s tender and sweet, and Steven’s at once pissed he missed filming it, and glad Adam stepped in when he did.

“C’mon,” Andrew says, drawing Steven’s attention back to him. “Turn off the mics.”

Steven does.

“Now let’s enjoy our own date, yeah?”

Steven blushes deeply as he stares at his boyfriends across from him. “Yeah,” he says a little apologetically.

“You did a good thing,” Adam assures after he’s tucked the camera back into its bag. “Let’s just give them some privacy.”

Steven nods again. “You’re right.”

Andrew and Adam grin at him just as Ryan’s laugh rings out from below.

 

 

Ryan and Shane walk into work the following Monday together. Ryan’s got one of Shane’s plaid shirts thrown haphazardly over his shoulders and Shane’s hair is an absolute mess, worse than usual. Steven looks away from them to grin excitedly at Adam; Andrew is off getting coffee from the break room, but Steven hopes he gets back in time to see this.

Adam nods to a space behind Steven, so he whirls around in his chair again to find Shane and Ryan standing in front of him.

“Hey guys.” Steven speaks slowly, cautiously. He notes, with giddy delight, that Ryan and Shane are holding hands.

“Yeah, thanks, or whatever,” Ryan grits out, looking like it physically pains him to say it. He also looks like he’s fighting off a grin, so Steven decides not to tease him too much.

“No problemo,” Steven replies easily. He shrugs.

Ryan rolls his eyes and goes up on his toes to brush a kiss over Shane’s stubbled cheek. “I’ll be in HQ,” he mutters before disentangling his hand from Shane’s and walking away. Steven expects Shane to follow, but Shane only watches Ryan walk away.

It isn’t until Ryan is out of sight that Shane speaks. “I owe you one,” he says, grinning.

Steven shakes his head. “It’s no problem,” he repeats. “You two deserve it.”

Shane’s ears pink faintly.

“Besides, I only got you two in the same place, _you’re_ the one who seduced him.”

Shane lets out a bark of laughter. “I guess you’re right.” He rubs at his neck awkwardly. “Any chance I can get a copy of that footage?”

“Footage? What footage?” Steven tries. Shane pins him with an amused, unimpressed stare. “Sure, yeah, of course.”

“Definitely post it first,” Shane says, holding out his hand for a high five. “Ryan will flip.”

Steven grins as he slaps his palm against Shane’s. “Promise you won’t let him murder me?”

“Swear on my life,” Shane says, holding up his right hand.

“Then you’ve got a deal.”

Shane nods and then he’s off, walking the same way Ryan went.

Steven spins around, pumping his fist with a quiet cheer. “Steven Lim, Master Matchmaker!” He half-shouts. Beside him, Adam shakes his head fondly and laughs.

A hand ruffles through his hair, and Andrew speaks, “Yep. That’s you, babe.”

“Damn right it’s me! I’m two for two!” He beams up at Andrew. “Now… who’s next…” He turns and surveys the office.

Behind him, Adam and Andrew share a grin.

**Author's Note:**

> if you liked this fic, [reblog it on tumblr](http://punk-rock-yuppie.tumblr.com/post/177079518996/the-set-up-shyan-stadamdrew)!


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